


Cat People

by thewightknight



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cats, Fluff, Happy Ending, Kittens, M/M, Pining, a little bit of voyeurism, and they were neighbors, cat pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:35:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26621506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thewightknight/pseuds/thewightknight
Summary: Hux’s new neighbor is gorgeous. He’s also a cat person—a plus in Hux’s book. Hux can see him through the windows, walking around his house with his huge black cat draped across his massive shoulders. He does it shirtless a lot—another plus there. Little did he know that cat would provide the perfect introduction when it breaks into his house to court Millicent. Well, ‘court’ is too delicate a word. Now an impending cat daddy, Hux has the perfect excuse to spend more time with Kylo. If he could only get Kylo to ‘court’ him….
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 26
Kudos: 185
Collections: Kylux Big Bang 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the 2020 Kylux Mini Bang! [ Art](https://annihilatings.tumblr.com/post/630200827390328832/art-for-my-kbb-collab-with-thewightknight-cat) by annihilatings.

“Looks like your new neighbor’s a cat person too.”

Phasma had become obsessed with the man who’d bought the house next to Hux’s. She’d been over more in the last two weeks than in the six previous months, and she spent her visits giving him a running commentary of everything the new neighbor did.

“You mean he has a cat.” Hux pretended to be uninterested, hoping she’d give up. No such luck.

“No, he’s a cat person. Come see.”

Hux wandered over to where she stood next to his kitchen window even as he was telling himself he wouldn’t stare. Once he got there, he was sorry he had. His new neighbor was organizing his kitchen, moving dishes around and organizing his pantry. He was doing so shirtless, with a giant black cat draped across his shoulders like a fur stole. As Hux watched, he paused for a moment to rub his cheek against the top of his cat’s head before opening up another box.

“You’ll creep him out if you keep this up.” Hux tore his eyes away, trying to bury the memory of his neighbor’s superb physique.

“Not my fault he doesn’t believe in curtains.”

Millicent came out of hiding after Phasma had left, but not until she heard the electric can opener. It had taken him three months to coax her into his house and now, four months later, she was still skittish with everyone but him.

After she’d had her dinner, she joined him on the sofa. “We need to get you to the vet soon, sweetheart,” he cooed at her as she kneaded his chest. It scared him that doing so would set them back, but he couldn’t put it off it much longer. Her heats were an annoyance, and he also worried she’d escape during one of them.

“Next month, okay, princess?”

Millicent purred and settled down, tucking her nose under his chin.

He got woken during the night by an unearthly yowl. In his half-asleep state, he bolted out of bed, only to find Millicent rubbing her cheeks against the kitchen window. An answering yowl tore through the space between his window and his neighbor’s. The giant black cat had pressed himself up against the window across the way.

“That’s enough of that,” he scolded as he picked up Millicent and drew the shade.

He called the vet first thing in the morning. They recommended waiting until her heat ended, so he scheduled her appointment for the next week.

If only he hadn’t waited. The next day he came home to the sight of his neighbor’s giant cat mounting Millicent in his living room.

“What the hell?”

They broke apart when he approached, but as far as he could tell, he’d gotten there too late. He found the kitchen window ajar and he could see the neighbor’s window standing open, the screen lying in the grass. It was an eight-foot drop to the ground, but somehow the beast had managed both. It proved friendly enough, approaching him when he chirped and wrapping both of its front paws around his neck when he picked it up. He staggered under the cat’s weight. It must be ten kilos, he thought, as he crossed his lawn and made his way up the stairs to his neighbor’s porch.

The bell didn’t seem to work, so he knocked. And waited. And knocked again. After several rounds of this, he heard an “I’m coming! I’m coming”, his neighbor’s exasperation clear even through the door.

When he opened the door, he gulped. His neighbor had been in the shower, it seemed. He forced his eyes away from the most impressive chest he’d ever seen and fixed his eyes on his neighbor’s face.

“Er. Hello there. Your cat broke into my house and has most likely impregnated my cat.”

This was, without a doubt, the strangest way he’d ever introduced himself to someone.

“Oh, wow. Um. Sorry?”

The cat struggled in Hux’s arms, and Hux almost dropped him.

“Oh here. Let me.”

His neighbor reached out, and the cat leapt into his arms.

“Were you a wicked boy, Vader?”

“I’d say so.” His mind chose that moment to replay the scene he’d observed in his living room, except it replaced the cats with himself and the gorgeous hunk before him. Heat rushed to his cheeks, and he threw out, “I hope you will keep him better contained in the future,” before fleeing back to his own house.

For the rest of the evening, he researched the care of pregnant cats. He did not jerk off to the memory of his neighbor’s droplet-bedewed chest in the shower that evening, but when he woke up with an almost painful case of morning wood, he bowed to the inevitable. His subconscious made some changes to the fantasy, however. No reason his imaginary self should get rug burns on his knees. Instead, he imagined he wasn’t alone, and that it was someone else’s hand wrapped around his cock–someone’s giant hand, and a broad, warm chest instead of cold tiles behind him.

“I hope it was good for you, dearest,” he told Millicent after he’d finished.

Millicent yawned from her place on the toilet seat, tucked her paws under her body, and went back to sleep.

He called the vet next to inform them of Millicent’s change in situation.

“We can still perform the procedure,” the lady on the other end of the line told him.

He hesitated, looking over to where Millicent lay sunning herself in the window.

“No,” he said. “Let’s hold off.” He rescheduled her appointment for three weeks out. By then, if his neighbor’s beast had put her in a family way, she should show signs by then.

He called Phasma next, and she laughed, the beast.

“Jealous, Armie?”

“Absolutely not,” he spluttered. “But since you’re so invested in my situation, expect to be taking a kitten off my hands when the time comes.”

###

Cat owners didn’t sleep in on weekends. He’d discovered this as soon as Millicent had let him coax her into being an inside cat. He was stumbling through feeding her and fixing himself a pot of coffee at eight a.m., an hour later than Millicent preferred and several hours earlier than he would have liked, when someone knocked on his door.

The sight that greeted him when he opened the door made the early rising worthwhile.

“Hi there! Hope this isn’t too early.”

His neighbor had dressed for jogging, or some other healthy activity. He wore a pair of silky black shorts with a bright red stripe up each leg and a sleeveless shirt that exposed biceps that looked larger around than Hux’s thighs.

He’d been staring again, Hux realized. “It is too early, but someone makes sure I’m awake at this hour whether I want to be.”

His neighbor laughed, eyes crinkling. “I know that feeling. Listen, I wanted to drop these off. An apology, you know.” He held out a handful of papers to Hux. Hux hadn’t noticed him holding them, too wrapped up in not ogling. Opening the screen door a crack, he took them, keeping an eye out the entire time for a potential escape attempt.

The papers proved to several pamphlets on caring for a pregnant cat, and some coupons for kitten food and a gift certificate to their local pet store.

“That’s not just for the arrival. Kitten food is great for pregnant cats, too.”

“You’ve been through this before?” Hux asked.  _ Why isn’t that beast fixed?  _ he thought, but didn’t say.

“Oh, I breed Vader. He’s registered. Black smoke Maine coon. It’ll be interesting to see how these kittens turn out. Your cat’s sweet looking.”

As he cast about for some way to prolong the conversation, his kettle started whistling.

“I’m making tea. Would you like to have some? Or I have coffee.” He’d laid in a stock in the faint hope that at some point he might have a date that would last through to breakfast.

“Can I take a raincheck? I need to get a run in before it gets too warm.”

“Of course.”

“Catch you later!” And with that, his neighbor was off. Hux stood in the doorway, ogling his retreating back until he disappeared around the corner. It wasn’t until he closed the door he realized he still didn’t know his neighbor’s name.

Tea made and poured, he sat with his laptop at the little table in his dining nook. From time to time, he’d glance out the window. After about ten minutes his neighbor rewarded him for his vigilance, rounding the corner and jogging past their houses. Sweat glistened on his skin as he ran past and the shorts parted at the side, exposing even more of his muscled thigh. Hux shifted in his chair, trying to ignore the sudden rush of heat in his groin.

“You will not wank off over your neighbor twice in one morning,” he told himself. “That would be pathetic.”

He forced himself to focus on the news and his tea and away from his window. At some point Millicent engaged her stealth kitty powers and snuck into his lap without him noticing. He’d been petting her for who knows how long before he registered her presence.

“Oh, hello, sweetheart. Are you having a good morning?”

Millicent trilled in response, butting up against his hand, then froze, hissing, before scrabbling away, claws digging into Hux’s thigh as she pushed off. Someone knocked before the pain could register.

With a wince, Hux up. Hobbling across the room, he blinked in surprise when he opened the door.

“Hey, is that offer for coffee still open?”

It looked like his neighbor had showered after his run. His hair seemed damp, at least, with little wisps escaping from the bun he’d pulled it back into. The tee he was now wearing covered more skin than the shirt he’d been wearing earlier, but it appeared to be two sizes too small, molding itself to every plane and curve of his torso. His jeans also left nothing to the imagination.

Realizing he’d been staring yet again, Hux blushed. “Of course. Come on in,” he said, hoping the heat would explain his color.

His neighbor studied his place as they passed through the living room.

“Where’s your cat?” he asked.

So he wasn’t casing the place.

“She’s shy. You won’t ever see her. She still hides from my best friend even though Phas comes over every weekend.” Refilling the electric kettle, he set it back on the base and hit the toggle, then started rummaging around in his cabinet for the bag of coffee beans and his French press.

“Is that the blonde giant?” Hux shot him a sharp look and saw a bit of color creep into the other man’s ears. “Not that I’m stalking you or anything. She’s hard to miss.”

As if summoned, someone knocked again.

“That’s probably her now.” Curse Phasma and her inveterate earliness. He’d had no time to chat his neighbor up, and now that she was here, she’d monopolize his attention. He hadn’t locked the door again, so he shouted out, “It’s open!”

“My hands are full, you tosser!”

“I’ll get it,” his neighbor offered.

His attention split between prepping the coffee and watching the meeting of giants, Hux spilled grounds all over the counter. The meeting did not disappoint.

“It’s about time,” Phasma grumbled as the door opened, then paused, giving Hux’s neighbor an obvious once-over. “Well, hello there, tall, dark, and handsome!”

“Please don’t eat my neighbor, Phas,” Hux called out. “If you do, you don’t get any caffeine.”

“You’re the one whose Lothario cat despoiled sweet innocent Millicent, aren’t you?”

“Um….”

“I’d offer to shake hands, but I don’t have one free.”

“Oh, hey, let me help you with that.”

“By the way, I’m Phasma. Since Hux is shit at introductions.”

“Kylo. Nice to meet you.”

Kylo. Unusual name, but who was he to comment? Armitage wasn’t in the top fifty names for boys, or even in the top hundred.

Phasma’s bags were full of presents for Millicent. She’d bought a bag of the same food Kylo had brought over coupons for that morning, and a new cat bed and various toys.

“Gotta keep the momma in shape,” she said.

“She won’t have her kittens in that,” Kylo told her, pointing towards the sheepskin-lined bed. “They prefer out of the way places, like closets, or under beds.”

“We can move your shoes, right, Hux?”

He didn’t bother protesting as Phasma headed to his bedroom. Kylo followed, and Hux had a panicked moment, wondering if he’d left anything embarrassing out. The whistle of the kettle broke his thoughts, and he brushed the coffee grounds back into the ceramic container, then measured out four scoops into his French press. Phasma liked her coffee chewable, so he added two more scoops before pouring scalding water on top. Hopefully Kylo preferred a potent brew too.

While the coffee brewed, he helped himself to another cup of tea. He could hear voices coming from his bedroom but couldn’t make out what they were saying. Phasma’s laugh rang out, followed by a bass chuckle that gave him goosebumps.

When they emerged, Phasma had yet again worked her particular brand of magic. Kylo was grinning at her and laughed again at whatever she’d said as they reentered the kitchen.

“Your shoes are now under your bed, Hux. Still sorted by color, don’t worry. We moved the storage box under your desk.”

He gulped at that. The contents of that box weren’t anything he wanted Phasma to see, let alone the neighbor he’d just met.

“Is the coffee ready yet?” she asked, breaking into his thoughts.

Pointing to the timer, he pushed a mug in her direction. “By the time you finish doctoring this it’ll be ready. Are you a cream and sugar person?” he asked Kylo.

“Nope. Like it black as Vader’s coat.”

“Vader? That’s your cat?” Phasma asked.

“Yep. Sith Lord Dark Vader. He’s a black smoke Maine Coon. Look–there he is.”

Sure enough, Kylo’s cat was sitting on the windowsill, staring at them with unblinking eyes.

“He’s a beaut. You’ll have spectacular kittens, Hux,” she said.

“You mean Millicent will,” Hux corrected.

“Yes, but you’ll be the best cat daddy ever. He dotes on Millicent like she was his own child. It’s so sweet.”

“I’d love to see that,” Kylo said.

“You may never see her at all. She was a stray, feral. It took me weeks to tempt her into coming into the yard if I was outside,” Hux reminded him.

“He’s sent me pictures, though,” Phasma said. “Show him that one, with her asleep on your head.”

“I will not,” Hux protested, indignant.

“That’s okay, he texted it to me. Hang on.”

“Phas!”

They drank two batches of coffee and Hux emptied his entire pot of tea while Phasma and Kylo compared cat pictures. He had sent more photos to Phasma over the last few months than he’d thought. Was he turning into one of  _ those  _ kinds of cat owners? He consoled himself with the thought that he’d hadn’t made an Instagram account for Millicent.  _ Yet, _ he a traitorous voice whispered from the depths of his brain.

Kylo upended his mug, draining the last of the coffee, and said, “I better get going. It’s breakfast time, and if I don’t get back soon Vader will try to break into the cabinets.”

“Has he ever succeeded?” Phasma asked.

“Not yet, but I’m sure he’ll figure it out some day, with all those extra toes of his. Say, if you’re not busy tonight, I’m having some friends over. Kind of a… housewarming thing. Starts about seven.”

“I might drop by,” Hux said, stomach full of butterflies.

“Great. I’m glad we met, even though the circumstances could have been better. Oh, you’re welcome to come too, Phasma.”

“Thanks, but I have a date.”

“You mean the two of you aren’t…?” Kylo asked, looking back and forth between them.

“Nah, we’re not each other’s type. But I’m sure I’ll see you around. I’m looking forward to being a kitten godmother. Catch you later, Hux.” Phasma blew an air kiss at his general direction and sailed out.

It might have been his imagination, but it seemed as if it pleased Kylo to hear that he and Phasma weren’t an item. There seemed to be more weight to his gaze as he said his goodbyes. As Kylo headed to the door, Hux caught himself staring at Kylo’s ass. He forced his eyes upwards just in time as Kylo turned to repeat his invitation.

Within a few minutes of his leaving, Millicent darted out from his bedroom, hopping up onto the kitchen counter and mewing at Hux. She’d already had her breakfast, so Hux scooped her up and headed back to the dining room table.

“Nice try, love.”

###

Around six that evening, a dilapidated Volvo wagon pulled up to the curb and a petite brunette emerged. As Hux watched, she popped the trunk and pulled out a cooler almost as big as she was, setting it on the curb. Before he could decide if he should help, Kylo came out. He couldn’t hear the words they exchanged, but it looked like playful banter. Instead of letting Kylo get the cooler, she started piling grocery bags into his arms. Once she closed the hatch, she hoisted the cooler with no difficulty and they disappeared back into Kylo’s house.

If he was going, and it looked like he was, he needed to bring something, Hux decided. A perusal of his cabinets reminded him he’d meant to go grocery shopping that morning.

“All right, then. Wine it is.”

He waited until eight before heading over, not wanting to seem too eager. A variety of vehicles had arrived already, and he could hear sounds of merriment coming from next door. After a panicked perusal of his wardrobe, he’d opted not to change. The shirt and slacks he’d put on this morning were fine. Kylo had seen him in them already. If he changed, he might come across as desperate or something. With the wine tucked into the crook of his arm, he screwed up his courage and headed out.

The brunette he’d seen earlier answered the door. She gave him a once-over and said, “Oh, hi. You must be the hot neighbor!”

“Rey!” Kylo appeared behind her, dwarfing her with his bulk. “Don’t pay any attention to my cousin. She’s drunk.”

“Not yet, I’m not.” Rey took his arm and dragged him into the house. “Hey, everyone. This is the hot neighbor who owns the cat Vader knocked up!”

All heads turned to stare at him, and if it wasn’t for Rey’s grip on his arm, he would have bolted for the door. Kylo had turned bright red, and he clapped his hands over his cousin’s mouth. Muffled squeaks came from behind Kylo’s hand and he glared down at his cousin. “Promise to behave?” The squeak that followed must have been a yes, because Kylo dropped his hand. “Come on in, Hux. Can I get you a beer?”

As he stepped over the threshold, Hux’s first impression was that he’d wandered into a goth club. Everyone in the room seemed to have black leather or vinyl on, and he’d never seen so many facial piercings in one place. After a few moments he saw there were other guests, wearing jeans and tees, and he relaxed.

As he followed Kylo through the crowd, introductions inundated him. Everyone knew who he was before he spoke. Most of them congratulated him on his impending fatherhood. Kylo still had his hair pulled back into a bun, and it might have been the warmth of the room that was turning the tips of his ears pink. Hux hoped otherwise.

Compared to the other rooms of the house, the kitchen was a pocket of quiet. Three coolers sat against the wall. Kylo pointed to each. “Beer. Wine. Other stuff.” The ‘other stuff’ cooler had a mixture of sodas and various fruity hard drinks. The evening grew brighter when he spotted a Mike’s Mango Punch.

“Wow. I pictured you as a wine kind of guy.” Kylo gestured to the bottle that Hux had forgotten he was still holding.

“Image blown.” Hux handed Kylo the wine and grabbed a bottle. Before he could start looking for a bottle opener, Kylo pointed to one cabinet. An opener in the shape of Darth Vader’s torso stood out from the side.

“I’m sensing a theme here,” Hux said as he popped the cap.

“Yeah, I’m kind of obsessed.” Kylo shrugged. “My grandfather helped with the character design and he always had stuff around the house.”

A round of cheers interrupted them. Face twisting into a grimacing, Kylo said, “I should get back in there. They might rearrange the furniture, otherwise.” Even annoyed, he was still gorgeous, Hux couldn’t help but notice.

When they emerged from the kitchen, Rey grabbed Kylo by the arm and announced that he’d promised them a tour. She wouldn’t take no for an answer when Kylo tried to beg off. Curious, Hux trooped along with the rest. He already knew their two houses were mirror images of each other, both built at the same time, but the previous owner had done some remodeling. There was a master bath here that his house lacked. They’d expanded it by cutting into one bedroom, which left it with enough room for a bed but had plenty of space for the desk Kylo had put in there.

The bath had a giant tub, with jacuzzi bubbles and a separate shower with both waterfall and wall mounted massage heads. Hux’s lower brain supplied him with various scenarios of what Kylo could get up to in either with a partner, and he chugged half the bottle he’d forgotten he was carrying, trying to wipe them all away. He didn’t want Kylo’s friends to remember him as that guy that got wood at the housewarming. It also wouldn’t do to have them remember him as the guy who got shitfaced, so he’d have to watch his consumption for the rest of the party, too.

As he circulated from room to room, Hux pieced together his neighbor’s story from various conversations. Kylo worked as a freelance artist and also had a job as security for a local production company.

“Lucky bastard. He gets into all the shows for free,” one of the black clad, pierced crowd told Hux. She stood a head shorter than Hux and had his slender build. Her ‘don’t fuck with me’ aura made him wonder if she also worked as a security guard, despite her diminutive figure.

The artist thing explained the pictures all over the apartment, Hux supposed. Many of them seemed to have a similar style, and when he examined one, he found a ‘KR’ painted in one corner. They were all science fiction and fantasy art, of fantastic landscapes and creatures. He’d have to brush up on these genres to give them a topic of conversation. One of his coworkers could help. Dopheld always tried to interest him in these genres. It’d crush him if he found out it was to further Hux’s interest in someone else, but maybe Hux could introduce him to some of Kylo’s friends to mitigate his disappointment.

Hux had meant to stay only long enough to be polite, so it amazed him when he realized how many hours had passed when he thought to check his watch. On a normal evening he’d have been in bed by now, with the television set on a timer, playing something comfortable and familiar, and Millie asleep on the pillow next to him. He wasn’t even tired.

Deciding to do something with his excess energy, he went around the house, beginning to pick up discarded cups and empty bottles. All the trash cans overflowed with plates and bottles. Kylo didn’t notice what he was doing, too caught up in saying goodbyes and didn’t notice. Not wanting to interrupt, he slipped into the kitchen. There were certain rules of kitchen organization that seemed to be universal, because he found a box of garbage bags under the sink. He’d filled one almost by the time Kylo had said his last farewell.

“Hey, you don’t have to do that,” he said as Hux tied the bag off.

“Just being a good neighbor,” Hux replied. Ignoring Kylo’s protests, he washed his hands, then started consolidating the remaining finger foods onto one platter so they could wash the rest. After another attempt, Kylo shrugged and started carting the platters over to the counter once Hux had emptied them. Hux took over washing while Kylo broke down the folding tables he’d set up for the party foods, returning to help Hux with the drying.

The weight of the last platter surprised him. It slipped from his grasp and he made a desperate grab, but it was no good. The plate landed flat on the divider between the two sides of Kylo’s stainless steel sink and cracked in half. Hux fumbled, swearing as he caught the piece on the right before it could shatter further in the empty side, then swore again as the other half splattered soapy water all over him as it fell.

He apologized, but Kylo laughed.

“Don’t worry about it. I hate that thing. My mom gave them to me as a housewarming present when I got my first apartment. You didn’t cut yourself, did you?”

Despite Hux’s protestations, Kylo took his hands, and Hux shivered as Kylo’s thumbs brushed against his palms.

“See? I’m fine.”

“Yes, you are.”

Tearing his gaze away from their point of contact, he met Kylo’s eyes, then looked down again, heat rising in his cheeks at the intensity of Kylo’s gaze.

“Too much too soon?” Kylo asked, voice still a half octave lower than normal. “Or if you’re not interested,” he added in a more normal tone, words tumbling out in a rush, “I mean, it’s cool. We’re neighbors. I don’t want to make it weird.”

“Not too much, not weird,” Hux said, cutting him off, and Kylo sighed. His expression of relief was so comical Hux almost laughed.

“Okay, then.”

Kylo had a beautiful grin, Hux decided—lopsided, with one corner higher than the other. He leaned in for a kiss before his brain caught up with him, but Kylo didn’t seem to mind. Grabbing Hux’s hands, he met Hux’s lips with his own. It was chaste, as kisses went—just a brief brush of lips, with their arms a barrier between them, but Hux’s pulse still sped up and his breath quickened and his heart pounded in his chest when they parted.

“It’s not how I wanted to meet you, but if my cat hadn’t been such a little shit, I don’t know how long it would have taken me to get up the courage to introduce myself,” Kylo said.

“Cats. Cat. Oh, shit!” Hux said, realization dawning. “Millicent needs her dinner. I didn’t mean to stay so long. I have to go.” He stole another kiss before pulling. “Not running away from you, just so we’re clear.”

“Good. See you tomorrow?” Kylo asked.

“Tomorrow.” Resisting the desire for another kiss, he let himself out. When he opened his door, Millicent sat in the middle of the living room, giving him a frosty glare as he closed it behind him.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he said, stooping to scratch her ears before making his way to the kitchen. “Will you ever forgive me?”

She chirped in response, twining between his legs as he walked.

“Okay, that’s good then. Now, chicken or salmon?”


	2. Chapter 2

Hux woke later than usual on Sunday, which wasn’t surprising, considering how late he’d stayed out and then the extra time it took him to wind down once he’d returned home. He could have stayed in bed even longer, but the thought of Kylo stopping by and finding him still in his bathrobe with messy hair got him moving. The intermittent thwap of Millicent’s paw on his cheek helped.

“You’re lucky you’re cute,” he told her as he carried her from the bedroom. She purred in response.

The state of his refrigerator reminded him he still needed to go to the grocery store. He ended up dumping the last few frozen berries and granola into the dregs of his yogurt container, scraping the edges to get every bit mixed in. He’d be having pasta with olive oil and dried herbs for dinner if he didn’t make a trip.

Although they’d said  _ tomorrow _ at parting, neither he nor Kylo had mentioned a time, or even said whose house they’d meet at. The view out of his window showed an empty kitchen across the way, with the lights off. Kylo might still be sleeping. Or perhaps he’d gotten up earlier and gone out himself, to run errands, or go to whatever gym he used to maintain his impressive physique.

As he started the water for a pot of tea, Hux let his brain wander, imagining what might have happened if their kiss had progressed further last night. How he’d wrap his hands around those massive biceps and how Kylo’s hands would span his back, engulfing him, how warm he would be as he crushed Hux to his chest…. The kettle whistled, making Hux jump. It wasn’t the steam that had him flushed as he poured the boiling water into the pot. He prepped the French press, just in case.

He’d just finished doctoring his first cup when there was a knock on the door. Millicent, who’d been sitting on the counter next to the stove, tensed, but didn’t bolt for Hux’s bedroom.

“Are you starting to be a little less shy now?” he asked her. “That’s good. Shall we answer the door?” Millicent gave a little  _ mrrp _ of protest when he scooped her up and her ears shot back as he walked with her to the door, but she didn’t struggle or try to get away.

“Hey,” Kylo said when he opened it. “And hello to you, too, Millicent,” he said, reaching out, palm down and fingers curled in. Millicent, to Hux’s amazement, sniffed the knuckles of Kylo’s hand, then licked one.

“Good morning,” Hux said. Kylo looked a little worse for wear this morning, he couldn’t help but think. But even with rumpled hair and wrinkled clothes and dark circles under his eyes, he still looked good enough to eat. “Would you like some coffee?”  _ And maybe a good morning kiss, _ he thought.

“I would love some coffee, but I need a favor,” Kylo said. “I’ve got a project in the works. The friend I use for reference shots had a car accident last night. Nothing serious, but neither he nor his car is up to driving today. I was wondering if you’d be willing to fill in?”

“What kind of project is it, if I may ask?” he said, trying not to let his disappointment show at the lack of romance in the greeting.

“It’s for a new Steampunk RPG. The full title’s Shattered Empire—A Clockwork Adventure, but that’s a mouthful, so we all’ve been calling it Empire.”

His brain still focused on their kiss, Hux initially misheard ‘clock’ as ‘cock’ and had to yank his mind out of the gutter.

“Kickstarter’s doing well,” Kylo continued, oblivious to Hux’s lustful thoughts. “It’s already funded by a hundred fifteen percent and we’re approaching our third stretch goal, so I might get a few more art pieces out of it.”

Hux nodded, as if he had some idea what that meant. Last night he’d heard Kylo complaining about NDAs and not being able to talk about his current work, so he suspected he wouldn’t get much explanation if he asked. He decided he’d Google it later.

“I’m doing the cover art for the book. It won’t be recognizable as you once I’m done, as they’ve got a certain aesthetic they want. I have a basic wardrobe and props and just need to put someone in them.”

“And any warm body will do?” Hux joked.

“Well, no. Their description of the character was ‘lithe and wily looking’. And my friend doesn’t fit that, but I could have made it work, except, well, you’d be better.”

The heat in Kylo’s eyes when he said that sent a matching wave through Hux. He cleared his throat, hoping his voice wouldn’t break, and agreed.

Kylo lit up with a smile that gave another jolt to his core body temperature. “Great! I’ve got the lights set up already. Whenever you can come over is good.”

“Let me finish my tea and check my emails and I’ll be right over.”

It wasn’t until after Kylo left that Hux realized he hadn’t had the coffee he said he wanted. He took the time to start the press and then scrolled through his inbox on his phone. He’d had tentative plans with Phasma to catch a movie, but she hadn’t replied to their last email about it, so it looked like his day was free.

Before he left, he paid extra attention to his hair and dabbed the faintest hint of his favorite cologne behind his ears. He gave Millicent an extra scratch behind her ears before leaving.

Kylo’s front door was open, and when he knocked on the screen Kylo yelled, “Come in!” He’d shoved most of the furniture against one wall and had a white sheet tacked up against one wall. Several professional looking lights sat at either side, and Kylo was fiddling with a camera on a tripod.

“You didn’t get your coffee,” Hux said, holding up the French press.

“You’re an angel,” Kylo said, and Hux knew he’d blushed—the curse of fair skin. Kylo took the press from him and pointed to the next room. “There’s a vest and coat on the chair. Can you try them on while I perform a transfusion? Oh, and good morning.” And Hux got his kiss, a brief press of lips against him that left him wanting more.  _ Later,  _ he promised himself.

Hux had to remind himself of the difference between the American and English vest when he picked up the clothing. There was a waistcoat, a black brocade with filigree silver buttons, and a grey wool with a black satin collar. Both garments were huge on Hux, and yet the sleeves were a few inches short.

Emerging from the other room, Kylo said, “Here, take that off.” Hux shed the coat and started to unbutton the waistcoat. “No, leave that on.” Setting his coffee down, Kylo dug a box of safety pins out of a drawer. “Turn around.” He started fiddling with the back, sending little shivers up and down Hux’s spine at the light touches.

“The fit doesn’t have to be exact,” Kylo said, tugging the fabric tighter, oblivious to Hux’s nearness. “but it gives me an idea of the folds when it hangs and how the fabric behaves.” His fingers burned through the thin fabrics as he made his adjustments, and the hairs on Hux’s arms stirred. “There. That’s better. I’ll take a series of shots so I can get a sense of how your shoulders fall before we try the coat again. Here. Hold the lantern like this,” and he demonstrated with one arm. “And the gun down and out.”

If Hux had thought Kylo’s fingers burned, it was nothing compared to those enormous hands wrapping around his forearm as Kylo maneuvered him into place. Kylo posed him like a giant doll, and he didn’t realize he’d been holding his breath until his body protested the lack of oxygen.

The pose Kylo put him in stretched him in uncomfortable ways. “Are you sure this is right?” he asked.

“It’s weird, I know, but it looks great.” Kylo snapped off photos, one after the other in rapid succession, then flipped through them on the camera display. “Good,” he said. “Now let’s see what we can do with the coat.” Kylo pinned two gathered sections up the back of the coat before he had Hux put it on again. The shoulders still sagged where they hung off his narrow frame.

“Maybe we should put the hangar back in,” Hux joked.

“Need something to pad it out,” Kylo said. “Hang on!” He raced off and came back out with an Amazon shipping box. “I have an idea.” He ripped off the flaps, then tore the box into squares at the fold. Bending them in a curved shape, he frowned at them. “I think this will work.”

Shedding the coat, Hux handed it to Kylo, who pinned the cardboard to the insides of the shoulders. When Hux tried it on again they stayed in place this time. Glancing in the mirror above where the sofa sat, he had to admit it didn’t look too bad.

“Okay, let’s give this another try.” Kylo moved him into an even more exaggerated stance because of the coat. “Only a few seconds, I promise!” He seemed unfazed as he maneuvered Hux into the stance he wanted, whereas Hux’s pulse jumped with every touch of his hands. “Okay, chin up, just a hair.” Kylo snapped a few pictures, scrolling through them in the display on his camera. “Yeah. That’s perfect.”

Once Kylo pronounced himself satisfied, Hux let his arm drop with a sigh of relief. Kylo had given him a plastic gun to hold in one hand and a camping lantern for the other, with instructions to hold it above his head and the gun to the side, pointed down and backwards. It had left him with the sensation that his shoulder blades would meet behind his back. Something popped as he rotated his neck and rolled his shoulders, and he winced.

“I can’t thank you enough,” Kylo said as he helped Hux out of the jacket. “I promised Snap I’d take him out to dinner next weekend for this, so I guess I owe you instead? What kind of food do you like?”

The question took Hux by surprise.

“If you like Indian, there’s a place near here,” Kylo continued. “It’s vegetarian, but I like it anyway.”

“That sounds lovely.” He paused, hoping for something more, but Kylo had taken the memory card out of the camera and inserted in his laptop.

“Great. I’ll check in with you this week about it?” he said, attention focused on his screen.

Hux agreed and said his goodbyes, receiving a nod and a wave. Disappointed, he left.

His skin still pulled tight against him, and the places where Kylo had touched him still tingled. He waffled between ignoring it and doing something about it and decided on the latter. No reason he should deny himself because the man he’d kissed the evening before had grown indifferent the next morning. It didn’t stop him from reliving their session and expanding on it as he stroked himself to completion, but it left him unsatisfied afterwards.

That set the mood for the day. He couldn’t focus on any of the work he’d brought home, or the documentaries he’d put in his Netflix queue, either. He couldn’t decide what to make for lunch, but nothing in his takeout menu collection caught his fancy.

Introducing Phasma’s new toys to Millicent provided a distraction. She liked the little cluster of feathers on a string with a motion-activated tweeter best. After a few minutes he didn’t have to bother twitching it around on its stick anymore—Millicent grabbed it and started throwing it around on her own, even flipping it up into the air herself so she could jump for it. He took a few short videos, sending the best to Phasma.

He’d rummaged through the minimal contents of his fridge to see if he could find anything that would spark his interest for dinner. A knock at the door interrupted him. With a frown, he answered it, and it surprised him to find Kylo on the other side. When he stepped out onto the porch, he closed the screen behind him, to negate any escape attempts on Millicent’s part.

“Um, hi,” Kylo said, running his hands through his hair and looking up at Hux somehow through his lashes, a hangdog expression on his face. “I, um, wanted to apologize for this morning. This project has me super excited and when I get buried in my work, I get super focused on my art and kind of forget about everything else. I just realized I hadn’t said anything about last night and I didn’t want you to think I was ghosting you over it or anything.”

“Oh.” That made sense. Hux did the same when a project caught his attention. “Well, I’m glad you told me.”

“Good. I mean, because I enjoyed kissing you.”

“Oh, really?” Hux asked. “So you’d like to do it again sometime?”

“Definitely. But I need to work on this commission, so I’ll be tied up for the next few days.”

Well, that created some interesting mental images. Oblivious to Hux’s reaction, Kylo continued.

“So maybe I can make next weekend’s dinner an official date instead of just a thank you?”

“I’d like that.”

“Okay. Good. Great. Um….” Kylo hesitated, eyes darting between Hux’s eyes and lips, as if debating if he should kiss Hux goodbye.

Hux made his mind up for him. Taking a step forward, he wrapped his fingers in Kylo’s shirt, pulling him closer. He allowed himself a brief touch of lips, with only a little flick of the tongue, before drawing back. “Off to work, you. Knock if you need more coffee.”

Kylo grinned and saluted before bounding off Hux’s porch. Hux watched him cross their yards, enjoying the flex of muscles under the muscle shirt and gym shorts Kylo wore, then waved at him and blew him a kiss when Kylo looked back before going in.

Their brief exchange had brightened his mood, and the contents of his refrigerator became more appealing. After a bit of rummaging around, he pulled out the ingredients for a stir-fry and hummed to himself as he cooked.

His excellent mood carried over to Monday morning. He strolled into the office with a Thai iced tea, a rare treat, and settled into his office with the door open, the hum of conversation from the cubicles soothing instead of irritating him today.

He even left his office before lunch, heading to the break room for his regular cups of tea instead of relying on the electric kettle he kept in his office. It was because of this that he overheard Mitaka and Thanisson’s discussion.

He was only half listening, as usual, until he heard the words “Kickstarter” and “Shattered Empire.”

“That’s the new steampunk role playing game, isn’t it?” Hux asked. Mitaka and Thanisson stopped, Mitaka in mid-syllable, his mouth opening and closing like a beached fish. Hux realized too late that a) he never joined their conversations and b) had rolled his eyes on more than one occasion when they went off about their various geeky pursuits.

“Yes?” Thanisson said, the word ending on a question as they both continued to stare at Hux.

He answered the implied question they were dying to ask—how on earth did he know about this?

“My neighbor is working for it. We talked about it this weekend.” Hux decided against any further details. He’d done enough damage to his office reputation already.

After another lengthy pause, Mitaka ventured, “Really? Is he one of the creators? I know they’re local.”

“No, he’s an artist. Working on the cover, I believe he said.”

The pause this time was electric, with both Mitaka and Thanisson vibrating out of their skin. Finally, Mitaka blurted out, “Your neighbor is Kylo Ren? THE Kylo Ren?”

This was ridiculous. “Are there multiple Kylo Rens?” Hux asked with his usual disdain.

“Oh, man. He was the artist guest of honor at Coruscon last year. And he’s your neighbor?” Mitaka swayed on his feet, reaching out to catch the counter to steady himself.

“You know about Coruscon, right?” Thanisson asked.

“Of course I do,” Hux snapped. Coruscant’s annual comic convention made downtown almost impassable every year, and Hux had to remember to bring his lunches because sweaty bodies in unmanageable costumes packed all his usual eateries. He knew Mitaka and Thanisson went every year. They parked in the company’s garage for the event. Everyone did when they came downtown on the weekends. He suspected they slept in their offices over those weekends, but had said nothing. They were both good workers, so it wasn’t any of his business what they got up to in their spare time.

Neither of them had gotten over their shock when he’d finished ruminating. They both still stood staring at him, mouths opening and closing with no words coming out of it. To break the ridiculous silence, he said, “By the way, his cat got Millicent pregnant. I don’t suppose either of you are looking for a kitten?”

“Um….” Thanisson stammered.

“Urk….” Mitaka gulped.

It seemed he’d broken their brains even further. “Well, keep it in mind, and when you find your words again, let me know?” Hux left them at this, sailing out of the break room, tea in hand and a satisfied smirk twisting his lips.

Hux didn’t see much of Kylo for the rest of the week, except for occasional glances through their windows when Kylo took a break from his art. These breaks involved stretches and exercising with free weights, an activity Kylo performed in either a sleeveless shirt top or no shirt at all, and a pair of those silky running shorts with the slits up the sides. He seemed to keep to a routine, so Hux gravitated towards the kitchen every evening. Since dishes never accumulated in his sink, he had no reason to stand there if Kylo looked his way. Kylo never did, but that didn’t mean some night he wouldn’t, so on Wednesday Hux resorted to turning off the lights instead of pretending to be busy in front of the window.

He’d just planned on watching. He hadn’t intended to wank off to Kylo’s flexing muscles, but his hands and his cock had other ideas. So there he was, standing in his darkened kitchen, staring across the distance between their houses, pants around his ankles and his hands slick with a bit of his expensive extra-virgin (and wasn’t that a laugh?) olive oil.

With the size of the weights he was using, Hux was sure Kylo would have no problem picking him up and carrying him to the bedroom, or pinning him against a wall, or doing any of the other acts his subconsciousness supplied.

“Wrong,” he murmured to himself as he continued to stroke himself off. Kylo started doing a set of lunges that exposed his thighs to the waistband. Hux had been speculating whether he’d worn anything under those shorts and had thought not with the way they clung to the curve of Kylo’s ass, but this confirmed it. That was enough to finish him, and he stifled his cries with his other hand. Despite his efforts to contain himself, he still made a mess of the cabinets below his sink.

“Don’t judge me,” he said to Millicent, who’d hopped up on the kitchen counter and watched as he cleaned up. “You’ve gotten more action than I have.”

Thursday night he stayed away from the kitchen during Kylo’s workout hour. It meant when Kylo knocked on his door he didn’t catch Hux with tented pants (or worse).

“Hi,” Kylo said, smiling at Hux, a shy expression that made Hux’s heart flutter.

“Hello. How’s the work coming?”

“Fantastic! I was, well, wondering if you’d like a preview? You can’t tell anyone about it, but I thought you might like my progress?”

“I’d like that very much.”

The smile bloomed, lighting up Kylo’s face. “Come on, then!” He bounced down Hux’s stairs, taking them two at a time. Hux followed at a more sedate pace, catching up to Kylo at his door. Kylo opened it and ushered Hux in with a hand at the small of his back that burned through Hux’s shirt.

“This way.” Kylo gestured towards the rear of the house, leading Hux into a room that had been closed during his housewarming. It contained a giant desk and an array of monitors, with several game controllers, and a keyboard and a mouse. A tablet lay to the side of the keyboard with a stylus lying on top of it.

“Here.” He pulled out the chair from the desk and Hux sat, marveling at how comfortable the chair was. He’d needed to research the brand.

Kylo leaned over him, hair brushing against Hux’s cheek, and tapped the mouse. A click of his mouse cleared the screensaver, which had been a slideshow of what Hux assumed was some of Kylo’s art. The image that appeared looked nothing like him, but he could still recognize himself in it. In the picture, the ill-fitting coat had become a tailcoat with almost militaristic styling, the awkward shoulders now regal and commanding. Kylo had lightened the color of the character’s hair to a reddish blond, and his eyes were a piercing blue instead of his own changeable blue-green. He had Hux’s sharp cheekbones, and Kylo captured Hux’s sardonic smile—the one he knew made people uncomfortable.

The man on the screen stared into the darkness ahead of him, as if daring whatever hid in it to come out and face him. In the picture, the light from the lantern threw the angles of his face into even starker relief. Kylo had turned the Nerf pistol he’d had Hux hold into an elegant weapon, decorated with ornate scrollwork, wood burnished to a rich shine.

“It almost looks like a photograph,” he said, reaching out, his fingers hovering a few inches away from the screen. “You did this in four days?”

“Well, not all of it. I had the background done already, and sketches of the gun.”

“It’s incredible.”

“Well, I had an incredible model.”

With those words, Hux noticed how close Kylo was. It would take only a slight turn of his head to brush his lips against Kylo’s cheek. While he debated if he should take advantage of the opportunity, Kylo had no such hesitation. He rubbed his cheek against Hux’s, almost like a cat, then bestowed a light kiss at the corner of Hux’s mouth. Hux turned in the chair to face Kylo, reaching up to cup Kylo’s cheek as their lips met.

Their first kiss had been a teaser. A getting-to-know-you kind of kiss. This kiss accelerated from zero to sixty in milliseconds. Before he had time to process what was happening, he had both hands buried in Kylo’s hair and Kylo had crawled half into his lap, one knee wedged in between Hux’s thigh and the armrest and his other leg pressing against the insides of Hux’s thighs. He made little greedy sounds as he learned the shape of Hux’s mouth, tongue delving between his lips. Hux let his hands wander, trailing down Kylo’s chest and coming to rest at his waist. When he slid one hand up inside of Kylo’s shirt, Kylo moaned, then backed away.

“Damn,” he said, running his hand through his hair. A blush colored his cheeks and the black of his pupils loomed large in his eyes.

From the heat in his own face, Hux was sure he looked the same. “I’m sorry. I’m distracting you,” he said. “Well, I’m not sorry, but I know you’ve got work to do.”

“I wish I didn’t, but I’m on a deadline and I’ve got two more pieces besides this to finish.” Kylo bit his kiss-swollen lower lip, staring down at Hux with hunger in his eyes, before standing up with a sigh. Hux rose too, because otherwise the bulge in Kylo’s shorts would be too close to his face, and he didn’t want to distract Kylo from his work. Well, he did, but he wouldn’t.

Kylo saw him off with another scorching kiss, pressed up against his front door, before letting Hux out.

“I’ll see you this weekend,” Hux said, proud of how level his voice came out.

“Saturday night!” Kylo promised before shutting the door.

It was all too easy that night to imagine sitting in that comfortable chair with Kylo kneeling on the floor in front of him, lips locked around his cock while Hux buried his hands in Kylo’s hair.


	3. Chapter 3

Saturday morning, Hux woke to his accustomed paw thwap. When he rolled over to squint at his alarm clock, he groaned.

“Six o’clock is not breakfast time,” he protested. Millicent’s amber eyes narrowed to slits. “You can either go back to sleep with me, or go out in the hall.”

A tremendous clap of thunder spared his cat from deciding. Before the rumble had faded, she’d fled, taking refuge in his closet.

Despite the storm, Hux took advantage of the respite and went back to sleep.

When he woke again, guilt struck. It took tuna to coax Millicent out from behind the fleece-lined bed that Phasma had brought, but eventually she braved the continuing storm, slinking low on her belly and starting as the wind rattled the windows. In the scant minute it took her to clean the plate, licking up every trace of the fragrant fish, the storm petered out, settling into a light patter of drops on the roof.

“There, sweetheart,” Hux said in the quiet that followed. “It’s going to be a good day.”

By the time he’d made a pot of tea, the sun had broken through the clouds. “See,” he said, petting Millicent as she snuggled against his chest. “You’ll have birds to watch soon.”

Hux had something to watch too. Kylo’s broad chest filled his kitchen window as he made coffee—topless, as usual. Even from this distance, Hux could see shadows under his eyes. He yawned and Hux could almost hear his jaw crack, then raised the cup up to his nose, nostrils flaring. His mouth cracked in a smile as he took the first sip.

Because of the rain, his neighbors hadn’t broken out all their various noisy lawn maintenance machines yet, and Hux savored the quiet as he sipped his tea. His reprieve was brief. The sun drew folks out, one by one, and soon enough the roars of various lawn mowers and edgers and blowers filled the air. With a sigh, Hux put on a nature documentary, turning the volume up. Shortly after, Millicent materialized, an orange blob on the grey carpeting. Her head bobbed up and down as she tracked the flying birds on the screen, and she emitted excited chitterings, tail making a swishing noise on the pile as it lashed back and forth.

“Birds, as promised,” Hux told her. Her ears twitched back at his voice, but her attention didn’t waver.

When a knock sounded at the door she flinched, but didn’t run for cover.

“Who’s that, I wonder?” he asked, although he only suspected. So far, there had been only one person who hadn’t sent her scurrying for a hiding place.

It confirmed his suspicions when he opened the door.

“Hi,” Kylo said through the screen.

“Hello,” Hux replied, trying hard not to stare. From the looks of it, Kylo had taken a jog again. He wore one of his sleeveless tanks and a pair of those deadly silken shorts.

“Sorry, I’m a mess, but I realized this morning we hadn’t set a time. And then I realized that we never exchanged numbers. Hope this isn’t too early.”

“No, as usual I wasn’t allowed to sleep in.” He started when he felt something brush against his leg. Millicent had abandoned the TV to come beg for attention. He bent down to pick her up, and she snuggled into his arms, purring up a storm.

“Hello there, sweetheart,” Kylo said, and Hux’s heart melted at Kylo’s use of his favorite endearment for Millicent. “Anyway, would six work for you? And I can get your number, too? I don’t bring my phone while I run.”

“Six is good,” Hux said. His eyes had wandered down to Kylo’s bulging arms and impressive pectorals, and he forced them up again. “The Indian place, I think you said?”

“That’s the one. Great. See you then.”

Hux now regretted the addition of the screen door. He’d had it installed after adopting Millicent, to reduce the chances of her escaping. Today it had barred him from a good morning kiss. He consoled himself with ogling Kylo’s thighs as Kylo headed across the lawn.

“Lawn,” he moaned. “I need to mow it.” Hux hated yard work. “Why did I buy a house again?” he asked Millicent. She sneezed in his face in response.

“That will be me soon.”

After popping an allergy pill and liberally dousing himself with sunscreen, Hux put on one of his few t-shirts and the straw hat he’d bought after he’d turned himself into a tomato the first time he’d mowed.

On the porch steps, he put a glass and a pitcher of ice water, and then he ran out of reasons to delay.

“All right, then. Let’s get this over with.”

It took two over hours, because of Hux’s obsession with perfection. Not only did he mow the lawn, but he also edged along the sidewalk, and got out the weed whacker to deal with the clumps that sprouted up along the house.

“Why haven’t I hired a landscaping service yet?” he asked his rake as he gathered up the clippings.

“You should leave those. They make good mulch. And you need a set of noise cancelling headphones.”

Hux yelped and dropped the rake when Kylo spoke.

“But then I’d get even less warning when you sneak up behind me,” he said as he turned. Of all the times for Kylo to see him, dripping with sweat, hair plastered to his forehead and shirt to his less than impressive chest. Kylo didn’t seem to notice any of this, staring at Hux with his eyebrows furrowed. Interpreting Kylo’s expression as concern, he added, “Yes, I am wearing sunscreen.”

“You’ve got a bit of grass on your nose,” Kylo said, blowing him a kiss and trotting out to the street. The mailman waved at him as he approached, handing out a bundle of mail.

Perfect. Hux scrubbed at his face with the back of his hand and sighed. The contents of the package preoccupied Kylo, and he reentered his house without a backwards glance.

“We’ve got a date tonight,” Hux reminded himself. “He’s lost in his work right now. That’s all.”

When Kylo came over on the dot of six that evening, he proved Hux right. “I’m going to keep apologizing to you until I finish this project,” he said as soon as Hux opened the door. “And during the next project too, if you aren’t tired of me already by the time it rolls around, and probably the time after that.”

Hux shut him up with a kiss.

The Indian restaurant took up the corner of a small strip mall, with tables on one side of a hanging wall and a small grocery on the other. At the sight of the sweets in the glass display case behind the register, Hux made a mental note to come back next week.

The owner greeted Kylo by name and winked at him when he introduced Hux. “They recommend family style,” Kylo told him as Hux opened the menu.

“What’s good?” he asked.

“Everything!”

Hux opted for paneer in a curry sauce. Kylo told the owner ‘the usual’. That turned out to be three different dishes and a bowl of rice, along with two sides of nan. At Kylo’s insistence, he sampled each, and he hadn’t been exaggerating when he’d said everything was delicious.

In between bites, they talked. It turned out they both loved books and movies, but preferred different genres. Kylo loved science fiction and fantasy films—not surprising, considering his art. Hux tended towards dramas and mysteries.

“Movie night when next weekend, maybe? You pick a movie and so will I?” Hux asked.

“It’s a date!”

Hux did not say _ Netflix and chill,  _ but he thought it.

From the sheer amount of food, he assumed they’d take home leftovers, but one by one the platters emptied before his eyes. He helped, sneaking bites of Kylo’s dishes and tearing off pieces of nan to soak up the sauces until he felt ready to burst.

“I always say I’m going to save room for dessert,” Kylo said, “and I never do.”

“Take some to go and have it for breakfast?” Hux suggested.

Kylo stared at him, a piece of nan halfway to his mouth. “You’re a genius!”

In the middle of selecting their sweets, Kylo’s phone went off, and Hux had a few moments to wonder who deserved the honor of having the Imperial March from Star Wars as their ringtone. Kylo fumbled with his phone, nearly dropping it as he tried to answer.

“Hey, Jess. What’s u….?” The person on the other end of the line interrupted him with a shriek the woman behind the counter heard. Kylo jerked the phone away from his ear, nearly dropping it again and waiting until the cacophony died before holding it back up again. “Words, Jess, not screams,” he said, and listened as this Jess, whoever they were, went on about something at length, volume rising to where Hux could almost understand the words at several points.

As the call stretched on, Kylo’s eyes grew bigger and bigger until they looked ready to pop out of their sockets, making interjections that started with “you’re kidding”, progressed to “oh em gee” and then “that’s fucking fantastic!” At this, he shot the woman behind the counter a guilty look and mouthed “sorry!”

“Okay,” he said after Jess had run out of words. “Okay,” he repeated, breath hitching. “That’s….” Hux heard another squawk, shorter and more muted than the last, and then Kylo listened again. “Three more? Really?” Another pause. “Okay, when do you need them by?… I’m working a show the next two weekends, and Cloud City’s the weekend after that, but I should be able to swing it. …Okay. Call me tomorrow and we’ll work out the details.” After he hung up, he stood with his phone in his hand halfway between his head and his pocked, staring off into space with a faraway look in his eye.

“Good news, I take it?” Hux asked.

“Huh? Oh, yeah,” Kylo said. “Maz Kanata plugged the Kickstarter on her show tonight, and it doubled our pledges.”

“I have no idea what that means,” Hux admitted.

“It means they’ve got twice as much money to work with than they did this morning.”

“Oh,” Hux said. And then “oh” again, as the rest of the call made sense. “So they want you to do three more art pieces?”

“Maybe four. I’ll find out tomorrow.”

Thanks to that phone call, the evening ended on a dissatisfactory note. Gears ground in Kylo’s head—an apt analogy, considering the project he contemplated. He’d already immersed himself in his project again. Although they shared a steamy kiss on Hux’s porch, it ended too soon, to his frustration. As Kylo strode across the lawn to his own door, Hux wondered if he wanted to continue to pursue a relationship with his neighbor.


	4. Chapter 4

When someone knocked at the door, Millicent waddled towards it instead of ducking for cover. Phasma had spoiled her rotten with treats and toys over the last two months, so much so that Hux doubted if he was still her favorite human.

As usual, she came laden with gifts.

“This is enough for an army of kittens,” Hux said as he surveyed the array of toys she’d brought. “For first litters, there’s usually only two or three.”

Phasma shot him an unrepentant grin and shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe Millicent’s kittens will be so cute you’ll become a cat breeder.”

If he did that, maybe he’d get to see Kylo more often. He must have grimaced at the thought, because Phasma sighed, patting him on the shoulder.

“When’s he getting back into town?” she asked.

“Late tomorrow evening.” Between the hours Kylo had put in making extra art for the Kickstarter and his night job working security for events, they’d barely seen each other since their first date. And he’d had an art show and then gone out of town for this convention. Over the past few weeks Hux had given himself a crash course in the science fiction/fantasy convention scene, researching all the events that Kylo mentioned in passing.

The only weekend Kylo’d had free, Hux’s work blew up, and he’d cancelled their date, rushing out of town at the last minute to spend the week in the middle of nowhere, putting out fires in one of their satellite offices.

It sucked.

Today Millicent ignored the new toys, pacing back and forth between the kitchen and Hux’s bedroom and meowing at them both in between trips.

“I think it means she’s getting close,” Hux said, frowning. He’d hoped for Kylo’s presence when her time came. Not that he thought she needed any help. Cats do this all the time. But it would have been nice to have him here for this.

“Going to let him know?” Phasma asked.

“Might as well, I guess.”

Although they had seen little of each other, after exchanging numbers they’d begun texting each other regularly. Although he enjoyed their chats, it almost made things worse. Kylo’s wry, wicked sense of humor came through in his texts and it made Hux miss him all the more.

_ Looks like the kittens are on their way _ , he typed. He added a short video of Millicent’s pacing.

**Looks like,** Kylo sent back. And then,  **dammit.**

After that, nothing more came, and Hux resigned himself to soloing the kitten watch.

“I’d stay, but…” Phasma began.

“But you have a date. Don’t worry about it. We’ll be fine,” Hux assured her, over Millicent’s pitiful meow.

After Phasma left, he put on a nature documentary, but Millicent ignored the chirping birds in favor of more pacing. As the afternoon progressed, he noticed her interspersing extended periods of grooming in between her trips to and from his closet. With one hind leg extended in the air, her belly appeared even more pronounced.

She’d been eating less this week, another sign of impending birth, and that night she barely touched her food. That tied in with everything he’d learned, and he resigned himself to a sleepless night. Intellectually, he knew Millicent didn’t need his help. Cats did this all the time. She’d be fine. That didn’t stop him from jumping up all throughout the night whenever she made a strange noise or walked in or out of the bedroom or just generally did anything at all.

As light seeped in under the blinds in his bedroom, he gave up all pretense at sleep and stumbled out to the kitchen. Thanks to a water leak at the office, he’d arranged to work from home before the excitement of impending kittens began. Despite that, with his lack of sleep and his attention so distracted, he knew he couldn’t focus on work today. So, he did the unthinkable—he took a sick day. His secretary sounded like she might expire from shock when he called her, asking her to reschedule the day’s teleconferences. It was likely by tomorrow the entire office would think he was dying, but he’d deal with that later.

Setting the kettle on, he rummaged through the cabinet until he found the Earl Grey and scooped up double his usual amount of leaves into the infuser. He let it steep too long, adding milk and sugar to cover up the bitter taste of the over brewed leaves. Out of habit, he glanced out the window, seeing Rey puttering around Kylo’s kitchen. Vader draped across her shoulders in his habitual cat shawl. On Rey, the effect was even more ridiculous than with Kylo. The cat dwarfed her and her face almost disappeared into his fur. She waved when she saw him, and he returned the gesture.

Seeing her reminded him again of Kylo’s absence. The first thing he’d done when he got up was check his phone, but he’d received no new texts from Kylo overnight. With a sigh, he set it down on the counter.

Millicent continued to prowl around the house, mirroring his discontent. She avoided his attempts to pick her up, and ignored her breakfast too, lapping up some water before resuming her circuit. Hux turned the television on, but before he could flip through to the Nature channel, someone knocked at the door.

Instead of waddling for cover, Millicent trotted towards the door, ears perked. Hux frowned. Phasma had said nothing about coming over today, and she hadn’t treated him to any woeful texts the evening before, so she wasn’t likely to need a shoulder to cry on or shout over. Maybe Rey had come to check on them?

It wasn’t Rey at the door. At the sight that greeted him, he nearly dropped his teacup.

“Hi,” Kylo said.

“Hi,” he repeated, frozen in place. “You’re not supposed to be here.” Realizing how that sounded, he rushed to add, “I mean, it’s not that I’m not glad to see you. Um. Come in.”

“How’s our princess?” Kylo asked as he entered. Millicent waddled into the room, emitting another of her piteous meows before Hux could answer. “There you are,” he crooned. He let his bag slide from his shoulder, depositing it on the floor and collapsing beside it. “Are you going to be a momma soon?” he asked as she rubbed her cheek on his knee.

“I thought you had panels last night?” Hux asked.

“They stuck a jerk in my last panel without notice. Real piece of work. Over the last couple of months, seven women came out about how he pressured them for sex in return for work, and that means there’s probably three times that number who haven’t said anything. The rest of us walked out in protest when they refused to remove him. And then it was just the closing ceremony, and those are always boring. So I switched my ticket to a red eye.”

“Coffee?” Hux asked.

“You are truly an angel,” Kylo said, his attention focused on Millicent. That meant he missed Hux’s blush at the endearment.

“While it brews, do you mind if I drop my bags off and take a quick shower?” Kylo asked.

“Not at all! It’ll be waiting when you get back.”

That earned him a quick kiss, and then a longer one. By the time they broke apart, every nerve ending tingled, and Kylo let him go with obvious reluctance.

“I’ll be right back,” he promised.

It must have been the fastest shower in history. He’d only just poured the water into the press when Kylo knocked on the door again.

“Come in!” he called.

“I may drip on your carpet,” Kylo warned.

“That will be an improvement over hairballs.”

In the seven minutes it took the coffee to brew, Millicent had made three more trips from the kitchen to the bedroom.

“Maybe if we go sit on the floor next to your closet, she’ll settle?” Kylo suggested. Her bed was still in there, never moved from when Phasma and Kylo had rearranged his closet to make room for it.

“It’s worth a try, I guess.”

After Kylo had fixed his mug of coffee to his satisfaction, with an excess of cream and sugar that had Hux’s eyebrows shooting up, and Hux had refreshed his own tea, they had an awkward moment before Hux led the way out of the kitchen.

This was not how he’d imagined getting Kylo into his bedroom, he thought as they both sat on the floor between his bed and the closet.

“If we close the door a bit, she might feel more secure,” Kylo suggested. Hux complied, pushing it half closed. Millicent had followed them in, and when they didn’t move from their places on the floor, she flopped halfway between them and the door.

When Kylo took a sip of his coffee he grimaced. “I rarely put anything in it, but I’m going to need the sugar to stay awake. I can never sleep on planes.”

After that, they sat in companionable silence, each sipping their beverages, watching as Millicent squirmed around, trying to get comfortable, before standing up again and plodding into the closet.

“Do you think…?” Hux asked, half rising.

Kylo pulled him back down. “Let her be. It’s better if we don’t bother her.” As Hux settled back he lost his balance, tipping over and practically landing in Kylo’s lap.

“Well, hello there, beautiful,” Kylo said, catching him with ease with one arm, the other holding his mug up so he wouldn’t spill.

“Charmer,” Hux replied. With their faces so close together, it seemed the most natural thing in the world to continue the kiss from where they’d left off earlier. He chased the sweet taste of the coffee on Kylo’s lips, pulling a groan from Kylo as he flicked his tongue across them before nipping at the lower one.

“Ow!” Kylo said, and Hux tried to apologize. “Not you. Coffee. I spilled.”

“Here,” Hux said, setting his cup on the nightstand behind him and took Kylo’s mug from him, placing it next to his. With both hands free now, he tugged at Kylo’s shirt, pulling it up enough that he could slide his hands up Kylo’s back beneath it. Kylo hissed as his fingers grazed his sides.

“Ticklish,” he warned, before reciprocating. His hands burned against Hux’s skin, and Hux could feel Kylo’s rising interest beneath him, pressing hot and hard into his thigh. He could also feel the hard floor beneath the carpeting and rose, taking Kylo’s hand and pulling him up with him.

“Bed,” he said when Kylo tried to protest, and when Kylo scooped him up as if he weighed nothing he did not squeak in surprise, although he came close. Kylo carried him the few paces to the bed and laid him out on it, crawling on top of him, supporting most of his weight on his elbows but still pinning Hux to the mattress. As he bent down for another kiss, Hux wrapped his legs around Kylo’s hips, drawing out a moan as he rocked up into him.

“Too many clothes,” Kylo said, his tone almost petulant, and Hux laughed.

“That’s an easy fix,” he replied.

It would have been easier before they crawled into bed together, but with a delicious amount of squirming he got Kylo out of his shirt and pants, then, with a tug, he rolled them over, coming to rest on top of Kylo, knees to either side of his hips. An impressive tent had formed in Kylo’s briefs and Hux deliberately rubbed against it as he stretched, pulling his shirt up and off. With Kylo spread out before him like a centerfold, he had a moment of doubt about his own weedy figure, but the heat in Kylo’s eyes chased it away.

His fantasies of the two of them had begun with the thought of Kylo rutting against him the way Vader had taken Millicent in the middle of his living room, but now, he decided he wanted something different.

“Stay there,” he ordered, bending over so he could rummage in the drawer of his nightstand. He’d bought condoms weeks ago, and they’d lain there in the unopened package, taunting him ever since. Breaking the seal with a flourish, he tossed two of the foils onto the bed, along with a bottle of lube.

“What do you want?” Kylo asked, eyes flickering between the two condoms and Hux’s face.

“Well, I thought first I’d ask you to suck me off until I’m about ready to come, and then I thought I’d return the favor. Give us a few minutes to take the edge off, and then I want to ride you until my thighs give out and you can finish me off however you want. Sound good?”

From how quickly Kylo shimmied out of his briefs, it sounded very good to him.

If he’d still lived in his apartment, he’d have heard about the noise from his neighbors, and they’d probably done some damage to the drywall behind the headboard, but Hux absolutely didn’t care. Afterwards, completely blissed out, he snuggled into Kylo’s side, and before he knew it his sleepless night caught up with him.

When he woke, some undetermined time later, it took a few minutes for Kylo’s presence to register, fast asleep and snoring slightly. It took more time for him to separate the soft squeaks and mews emanating from the closet to from the whistling of Kylo’s breath. When they finally did, he sat bolt upright.

“Kylo,” he said, poking the sleeping giant next to him in the ribs. “I think they’re here!”

“Mmmph,” Kylo muttered into the pillow.

Hux was not to be denied. “Kylo! Kittens!” he said, prodding Kylo again.

That earned him a raised head and a bleary stare.

“Kittens!” he said one more time, throwing the covers back and casting about for his pants. Finding them half under the covers they’d tossed to the floor, he slid them on, then crept over to the closet door. Crouching down, he gently eased it open, letting out what he would later deny was a squeal at the sight that greeted him.

“There’s three, no, four!” he said, and that finally got Kylo moving. He slithered from Hux’s bed, taking the sheet with him, wrapping it around him before settling next to Hux. Millicent looked up briefly, giving them both a tired glare for disturbing her, before going back to licking the wriggling kittens nestled into her side.

“Look at the proud mama,” Kylo crooned.

Hux could have stayed there for hours watching them, but Kylo coaxed him back into bed. Reluctant, he gave in, but whereas Kylo dozed off again almost immediately, a return to sleep eluded him. Finally he slid out of bed, tucking the comforter around Kylo before he snuck from the bedroom.

The pot of tea was stone cold, so he dumped it out and started water for another one. While he waited for the water to boil, he grabbed his phone and tiptoed back to the bedroom. Millicent paid no attention to him as he snapped multiple pictures of her and the kittens. Before returning to the kitchen he couldn’t resist also taking a few shots of Kylo still sprawled across his bed. The kitten pictures went out in mass texts and he had to silent his phone when the notifications started rolling in. He moved the Kylo photos into a new folder, innocently named “MISC”, so they wouldn’t crop up when he scrolled through the gallery of kitten pictures with people.

Once his tea had brewed, he brought the pot and a cup back into the bedroom. When Kylo woke again, he found Millicent had moved the kittens out of the closet and had nestled up against Hux’s leg with them tucked back against her side. Not bothering with clothes, Kylo wrapped himself up in the sheet again and sat on the floor behind Hux. They devoted the rest of the day to fawning over Millicent’s new babies.


	5. Epilogue

Kylo’s mom barely came up to Hux’s armpits. How could such a diminutive woman have spawned a hulking giant like Kylo, Hux wondered as he let her in?

Phasma had already claimed two of the kittens, the two boys. The orange one had white markings on his face that gave him a perpetually sad look, and the boy was a blustery, angry bundle of roly poly black fur. The first time Phasma had seen them she’d exclaimed, “Laurel and Hardy!” She’d opted for Stan and Ollie as their names, and she blew up Hux’s texts with pictures of the two of them sleeping, wrapped around each other.

“You must be Hux,” she said when he opened the door. “I’m Leia.” She gave a gentle shake of his hand when offered, but he felt strength beneath it. Between that and her steely eyes, he wondered what would happen if she ever met his father. From the wary way Kylo eyed her when she turned her back, he decided she’d win.

The orange girl went home with her. Hux found out later from Kylo that she’d named her Princess.

That left the black girl. She was the runt of the litter, probably the last born, Kylo had said, but out of all of them, she had the most toes. It gave her a comical look, almost as if she had snowshoes on, as she skittered and tripped across the floor.

Although he’d been joking when he offered, Mitaka surprised him by asking for a kitten. He came over after work one evening, bubbling over with excitement. Or at least, he was until he realized that Hux had other company.

When Dopheld met Kylo, he looked about ready to faint. He stammered something when Kylo greeted him, holding Kylo’s hand and shaking it too long, and going from pale to beet red when he realized what he’d done.

From the way he cradled the little black kitten, Hux suspected that Dopheld might inundate him with even more pictures than Phasma. His suspicions proved correct. Melty, as Dopheld named her (and Kylo insisted on showing him a few episodes of the anime from which the name came), became a bit of an internet sensation after Dopheld made her a little purple and white dress with a staggering number of ruffles. Even Hux had to admit it was adorable after watching one of her videos, trotting around with her little stub of a tail sticking out the back of the voluminous skirt.

As soon as Dopheld had claimed the last kitten, Hux made Millicent an appointment with the vet. When he brought her home after surgery, miserable and with a cone around her neck, Kylo teased him.

“Vader will be so disappointed there won’t be any more excuses for clandestine trysts,” he said.

“He’ll have to be satisfied with more traditional liaisons from here on out,” Hux said. He fussed over her during her recovery, and eventually she forgave him for the indignity of it all. Her rapid recovery gave him no excuse not to go with Kylo to his next convention. He’d rashly promised to do so after another spectacular bout of sex and had been unprepared for the level of commitment it had involved. When he tried to get out of it, using Millicent as an excuse, he got a visit from Rey, who wouldn’t let him not convince her it was too much trouble for her to take care of both cats.

To Kylo’s surprise, he upgraded their tickets to first class, overruling Kylo’s objections.

“I refuse to cram my legs into economy class seating, and I’m surprised you fit,” he said as the ticket agent made the change, trying to hide her smile at their bickering.

They’d arrived Thursday night with luggage intact. Hux had half hoped it might go astray, and he’d be spared Kylo’s plans for them, but no such luck. Friday had been low key. Kylo had a booth in what he’d told Hux was called Artist’s Alley, and he spent the day sitting there, selling prints and signing various things. He’d had a banner made of the art he’d done for the game—the one Hux had posed for. It made Hux self-conscious to sit with Kylo under it, as the finished piece looked nothing like him but still was recognizably him. He wasn’t the only one that thought so, because someone asked him to sign the print she’d bought of it after Kylo had done so. Torn between embarrassment and a strange feeling that might have been pride, he obliged, and she gushed thanks at both of them.

Friday night had been an evening of room service and hotel movies, and then it was Saturday morning, the day he’d dreaded. He reluctantly let Kylo help him into the outfit he’d had made for Hux.

First, Kylo fussed over his hair, using a colored spray and powder to turn it from its usual red into grey shot through with silver. Then came the uniform. Its high collar pressed into his neck and the cut of the jacket ensured ramrod straight posture. It was a good quality wool, lightweight, so hopefully he wouldn’t melt in the crowds. The boots had come weeks ago and Hux had worn them around the house every evening, breaking them in.

Kylo spent what Hux thought was an excessive amount of time fiddling with the uniform once he’d donned it, adjusting the bar of little plastic squares across his chest and poofing out the jodhpurs to a ridiculous degree, before donning his own gloves and helmet.

“Ready, Grand Moff Tarkin?” he asked, voice distorted through his helmet.

With a roll of his eyes, Hux took the proffered arm, unable to keep the smile off his face. “Of course, Lord Vader.”

“Krayt Dragoncon won’t know what hit them.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! If you want to say hi, [check out my profile](https://archiveofourown.org/users/thewightknight/profile) for where I’m currently hanging out on this here internet thing. If you liked this, please share! Kudos are love and comments are always appreciated.


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